Utah Elementary Science Core Curriculum

Sixth Grade

2003 TEST ITEM POOL

The items in this pool represent the work of many Utah science teachers.  The items are aligned to the 2003 Sixth Grade Science Core Curriculum.  All rights to this pool are the property of the Utah State Office of Education.  Permission is granted to teachers, districts, or state agencies to use these items, provided they are not used in a manner that results in the distribution of items or instructional materials for profit.

The items in this pool will be refined each year.  If you find errors in the pool, we wish to correct them. Please contact us. If you are interested in working with the refinement of this item pool, please contact USOE via email.

            Kevin King, Science Assessment Specialist        kking@usoe.k12.ut.us

            Brett Moulding, Science Education Specialist   bmouldin@usoe.k12.ut.us

STANDARD I: Students will understand that the appearance of the moon changes in a predictable cycle as it orbits Earth and as Earth rotates on its axis.

Objective 1: Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.

Objective 2: Demonstrate how the relative positions of Earth, the moon, and the sun create the appearance of the moon’s phases.

STANDARD II: Students will understand how Earth’s tilt on its axis changes the length of daylight and creates the seasons.

Objective 1: Describe the relationship between the tilt of Earth's axis and its yearly orbit around the sun.

Objective 2: Explain how the relationship between the tilt of Earth's axis and its yearly orbit around the sun produces the seasons.

STANDARD III: Students will understand the relationship and attributes of objects in the solar system.

Objective 1: Describe and compare the components of the solar system.

Objective 2: Describe the use of technology to observe objects in the solar system and relate this to science’s understanding of the solar system.

Objective 3: Describe the forces that keep objects in orbit in the solar system.

STANDARD IV: Students will understand the scale of size, distance between objects, movement, and apparent motion (due to Earth’s rotation) of objects in the universe and how cultures have understood, related to and used these objects in the night sky.

Objective 1: Compare the size and distance of objects within systems in the universe.

Objective 2: Describe the appearance and apparent motion of groups of stars in the night sky relative to Earth and how various cultures have understood and used them.

STANDARD V: Students will understand that microorganisms range from simple to complex, are found almost everywhere, and are both helpful and harmful.

Objective 1: Observe and summarize information about microorganisms.

Objective 2: Demonstrate the skills needed to plan and conduct an experiment to determine a microorganism’s requirements in a specific environment.

Objective 3: Identify positive and negative effects of microorganisms and how science has developed positive uses for some microorganisms and overcome the negative effects of others.

STANDARD VI: Students will understand properties and behavior of heat, light, and sound.

Objective 1: Investigate the movement of heat between objects by conduction, convection, and radiation.

Objective 2: Describe how light can be produced, reflected, refracted, and separated into visible light of various colors.

Objective 3: Describe the production of sound in terms of vibration of objects that create vibrations in other materials.